Lea & Perrins
Encyclopedia
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
based food division of the H.J. Heinz Company, originating in Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, with a subsidiary in the United States which manufactures Lea & Perrins in New Jersey. Lea & Perrins was part of the HP Foods
HP Foods
HP Foods Limited, formerly based in Birmingham, United Kingdom was best known as the producer of HP, Lea & Perrins and Daddies sauce brands. It was also the UK licensee of Chinese food and condiment brand, Amoy Food....
company that was bought by Heinz
H. J. Heinz Company
The H. J. Heinz Company , commonly known as Heinz and famous for its "57 Varieties" slogan and its ketchup, is an American food company with world headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Perhaps best known for its ketchup, the H.J...
from previous owner Danone in 2005.
It is best known as the maker of Lea & Perrins brand of Worcestershire sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Worcestershire sauce , or Worcester sauce is a fermented liquid condiment; primarily used to flavour meat or fish dishes.First made at 60 Broad Street, Worcester, England, by two dispensing chemists, John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins, the Lea & Perrins brand was commercialised in 1837 and...
, which was first sold in 1838 by John Wheeley Lea
John Wheeley Lea
John Wheeley Lea was born on a farm and had three brothers and four sisters. He had wanted to be chemist since he was a young child, in 1823 when he partnered with a man named William Henry Perrins. He and Perrins opened a drug-store in Worcester...
and William Henry Perrins
William Henry Perrins
William Henry Perrins was a drug-store chemist who formed a partnership in 1823 with John Wheeley Lea. They went on to create the Lea & Perrins brand of Worcestershire sauce. He lived in Lansdowne Crescent in the parish of Claines, and is buried in St John, Baptist Churchyard, Claines.-References:...
, dispensing chemists from Broad Street, Worcester.
In 2005, an advertising campaign was launched for Lea & Perrins, and helped the brand achieve its best performance for a number of years. The campaign featured quick tips for using Lea & Perrins, captured using memorable language — adding it to a classic British takeaway of fish and chips
Fish and chips
Fish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...
became "splish and chips"; likewise, bangers and mash
Bangers and mash
Bangers and mash, also known as sausages and mash, is a traditional English dish made of mashed potatoes and sausages, the latter of which may be one of a variety of flavoured sausage made of pork or beef or a Cumberland sausage....
became "bangers and splash". A website, splishme.com was also launched to support the campaign, and encourage people to share their handy hints and cooking tips, as well as different ways of "splishing" and "splashing" Lea & Perrins.
Worcestershire sauce
Worcestershire Sauce is currently produced from the Midland Road factory in WorcesterWorcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
that Lea and Perrins built. Midland Road being named after the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
, the factory originally having rail sidings to provide raw material and distribution.
Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Worcestershire sauce , or Worcester sauce is a fermented liquid condiment; primarily used to flavour meat or fish dishes.First made at 60 Broad Street, Worcester, England, by two dispensing chemists, John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins, the Lea & Perrins brand was commercialised in 1837 and...
British and American recipes differ slightly in that the British recipe uses malt vinegar while the American version uses distilled white vinegar, giving the British version a slightly deeper flavour. Also, the American version used HFCS till 2011 when they went back to sugar due to the health concerns of HFCS, while the British version always used sugar. The British version is sold in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Lea & Perrins uses a distinctive paper wrapper for the version sold in the United States. In the UK, the iconic bottle is well known to consumers for both its shape, and also the orange and black label.
The precise recipe has been a secret, but an original recipe was found in a skip at the factory in 2009 and includes vinegar, molasses, sugar, salt, anchovies, tamarind extract, onions and garlic as well as some other key ingredients which may include cloves, soy sauce, lemons, pickles and peppers.
See also
- Charles Dyson PerrinsCharles Dyson PerrinsCharles William Dyson Perrins was an English businessman, bibliophile and philanthropist. He was born in Claines, near Worcester, the son of James Dyson Perrins, the owner of the Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce factory and the grandson of William Perrins, co-originator of the Lea & Perrins...
- Henderson's RelishHenderson's RelishHenderson's Relish, known locally as Hendo's, 'Hendies' 'Enderson's or simply "Relish", is a spicy and fruity condiment, similar in appearance to Worcestershire sauce, but as it contains no anchovies, it is vegan. Produced in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, some adherents favour it due to its unique...
- HP SauceHP SauceHP Sauce is a popular brown sauce originally produced by HP Foods in the UK, now produced by H.J. Heinz in the Netherlands.It is the best-known brand of brown sauce in the United Kingdom and Canada as well as the best selling, with 71% of the UK market....
- Worcestershire SauceWorcestershire sauceWorcestershire sauce , or Worcester sauce is a fermented liquid condiment; primarily used to flavour meat or fish dishes.First made at 60 Broad Street, Worcester, England, by two dispensing chemists, John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins, the Lea & Perrins brand was commercialised in 1837 and...
External links
- Lea & Perrins global website
- Lea & Perrins 'Unwrap The Possibilities' US website
- Lea & Perrins Kitchen — Philippines website
- Lea & Perrins Steak confit on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....